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by
Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL
No. 113
June : 2010
BRAHMAN LIVES IN US, WE LIVE IN BRAHMAN
QUESTIONS FROM READERS
QUESTION 1 FROM SRI KRIPASINDHU MALLIK
Respected Sir, We often compare life with a flowing river. As we have miserably failed to keep our rivers clean so we have failed to keep our lives clean and worthy. Is there a connection?
ANSWER:
You have a very imaginative mind. Please accept my complements. There perhaps no direct connection as you say. But in many other ways and dimensions, there certainly exists a connection. The nature around us is a great teacher for our coveted goal of achieving enlightenment. If we defile nature without trying to understand its contribution we only invite our peril. This does not require much explanation to understand. I do not comment only on the physical benefits. But on spiritual level every element in nature when understood, lifts us to a higher level of beingness.
The other day I came across a very enlightening write-up from Maulana Wahiduddin comparing the journey of life with a flowing river- a good analogy of the universal truth about enrichment of life and spiritual development of the soul.
From time immemorial it has been recognized that continuous fresh input of ‘knowledge’ is vital for spiritual enlightenment to inculcate freshness of approach to understand the creation and God’s creation.
When we see life as a river with its continuous inflow of fresh water to avoid staleness, it is indeed the truth but only by one part. A river is rightly seen as a flow of water or flowing water. If the river stopped flowing, even if it continues to receive freshwater, eventually the stagnancy will deprive its freshness and staleness would set in.
How does the river maintain its freshness? It does so by not only receiving a continuous flow but as much importantly by pouring out into the ocean. What it receives, it unhesitantly gives away. The lesson for life here is that both receiving and giving away are equally responsible for life’s enrichment.
The tendency should not be to hold on to what one receives but to give away what one receives.
There is a small anecdote in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad where Prajapati the Lord of beings instructs man with a single syllable letter ‘Da’, signifying ‘give’. Distribute all you have to the best of your might. To take without giving is seen as stealing. The Bhagavad Gita also reiterates this.
Even the ocean what it receives, gives back to the system. The creation is sustained not only by taking but also by giving back. Not only the rivers and oceans, but every element in the creation is sustained by take and give equally.
That is the great lesson of life.
QUESTION 2 FROM Ms PAULINE
Guruji, Everybody advises to annihilate ego. Is there any specific and practical steps to take?
ANSWER: There certainly are.The most effective one which the rishis have suggested is Brahmajnana or Brahman knowledge. If you keep your mind engaged in enquiring and acquiring knowledge of Brahman it systematically melts the ego. All actions performed by you or around you, are Brahman ordained and Brahman executed. Once the meaning of this truth gets established in mind, the carpet literally is pulled out of your ego’s feet.
You say you have a beautiful child to whom you are so attached. When you come to think of it, the coming of the child into this world is the result of hundreds of contributing factors where you had no decisive hand really. You might have been used to trigger a particular action but a pre-ordained principle biologically ingrained in the embryo, the physiology of the mother, cells in you, the mother and the embryo, the genes each followed their commands and culminated in the final result. Not to talk of subtle influences built into everyone which we understand as karmic. How much of you is there in it to claim the credit? The more you understand it less becomes the power of the individual ego. This is also true for any action and any happening in life. Even behind the movement of a blade of grass a host of contributory factors following a set of principles play their roles. In an attack of myopia we only see the obvious.
But an understanding of the divine principles that run through the creation exposes the futility of ego sense. It is as simple as that. The more you understand Brahman and His ways there will be less space in your mind for ego’s maneuver. I suggest reading of the articles in AHWAN to get the feel of the omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience of Brahman. That will considerably weaken the power of ego.
Go after Brahman searching Him in every thought and action. That is tapasor the fire of sadhana. In the heat of that fire ego is consumed.
QUESTION 3 FROM Mr ROBERT EALING
Respected Guruji! What is ‘Anahatanada’
ANSWER: Anahata Nada literally means unstruck sound. It is a philosophical concept of the audible aspect of Brahman.
For production of sound as we know it, four things are required – the striker, the struck, the medium that transmits and the receiver. The hammer as the striker strikes the drum, the akasha (air and space ) transmits the sound for the ear to receive.
When the two things clash – as the hammer and the drum- the vibration in the medium of air is the result which travels as sound waves. It signifies an action. Every action produces a movement that breaks the inertia and a sound is produced. Even thoughts are actions that produce vibrations however subtle they may be.
The creation is sustained by uninterrupted and continuous action. Not even for a moment in the universe, action ceases. You, me and everone and everything within the creation are in perpetual action. We send out waves of vibration which travel everywhere.
Now, this entire creation is Brahman only. Creation in action means Brahman in action. For incessant action is required for the sustenance of creation and thus Brahman is always in action if not directly but indirectly.
The sound that this action produces is the sound of Brahman – the Brahmanada.
How is this sound first began? Who struck whom? Who broke the inertia? Who transmitted the sound?
These questions are answered when we probe into the question of origin of Brahman. The Sanatan and other enlightened philosophies accept Brahman as the one and only one and self created swayambhu. There was no second to intervene or participate to create Brahman. He created Himself out of Himself. He Himself became everything around Him.
When Brahman wished action, He intervened with Himself. He became the striker and Himself also became the medium that carried the vibration and produced the sound.
All this was done to establish the importance and inevitability of perpetual action to create, sustain and for transmutation in the creation.
Absence of action would be a state of ‘death’, a state of non existence or a state of nihility. Inactivity signifies inertia- jadata. Less the action more inert or jada an entity is. The concept of total nihility is not a concept acceptable or applicable to Brahman and the creation. What is the purpose? Hence action is the primordial truth and inherent with Brahman.
The anahata nada is the result of Brahman in action, the creation in action.
The sound that emanates may not always be within the audible frequency range of our physical instruments as their range of functional capabilities are limited.
To receive this sound one has to transcend this limitation, beyond physical, by yoga.
When the sadhak becomes one with Brahman he hears the nada as part of his realization and not before.
QUESTION 4 FROM Mr PAUL PONNIAH
Sir,
Why did God create the CASTE system? Is He partial? Is man unique?
ANSWER: The malady of varnashrama (caste system) is not in its concept but in our wrong and selfish interpretation and practice.We have discussed this on various occasions on the pages of AHWAN. I reproduce below a note on the subject prepared for a publication. I hope this will clear our understanding.
How long shall we allow a totally skewed understanding of the so called “caste system” to harass the society?
Neither God nor the sanatan dharma (hindu for some) created the caste system as we interpret it today. The chaturvarna as mentioned by Lord Krishna in Gita is clearly a qualitative (guna) interpretation of the essential main activities we undertake as part of our living. It characterizes the type of activities – gunakarma vibhagashah –and not for dividing the society.
All activities that we undertake as part of our purushartha (mandatory duties) fall within these four broad catagories . When we are engaged in the pursuit of knowledge we are performing a brahmanic act. That is the guna of that activity. When we are protecting ourselves and the society from destruction, we are performing a kshyatriya act. When we are engaged in enhancing the wealth of the society we are qualitatively vaisyas and likewise when we are rendering physical service to our fellow men we are all shudras.
Al the activities when performed in accordance with dharma, liberate us, which is for what we have come to this world. All the four qualities of activities are essential for the wholesome evolution and continuation of life and thereby the creation.
But the ignorance of the human mind saw in this great possibilities for exploiting the fellow creatures and usurping benefits for himself and devised ways and means to spread the ignorance and block the knowledge.The society was not only physically divided but a hierarchical social order was forced upon. Totally distorted interpretations were made resulting in depletion of dharma and infused untold misery.
Brahmanic activity –or pursuit of knowledge (jnana)- which has always been accorded the paramount objective of life (the head of the body as Upanishad describes it), came to be interpreted by self serving Brahmins to mean the highest and previledged status for them in the social order. When the idea was to give ‘learning adhyatma jnana’ the highest priority in life, the Brahmins usurped it to declare themselves as God’s chosen people. Similarly others, not to be outdone, culled for themselves possible advantages exclusive to them. The society was truly divided.
During the British regime, the rulers saw their own advantages in a divided society and encouraged and aggravated the situation.
No spiritual guru had this in mind at any time. The historians gave hindus a bad name supported by misguided hindus themselves.
All of us perform all the four types of work some time or other in life. I am a Brahmin when I learn the scriptures and teach my children. I am a kshyatriya when I protect my possessions, my family, my fellow beings. When I work, produce wealth and pay taxes, I am a vaisya and when I nurse a child, treat a disease, clean the environment, I am a proud shudra. We are all Brahmins, Kshyatriyas, vaisyas, and Shudras all in one. It has no relevance on who my parents are excepting that I might have inherited a particular skill which my father had.
QUESTION 5 FROM SRI HEMANT JADHAV
My friend’s sevenyty three year old father suffered a heart attack and cerebral hypoxia and is now in coma for almost a month. What do you feel is the message for the family members here . What exactly is happening to the patient’s soul and how should the family members respond to this situation where medical science offers no hope.
ANSWER:I do understand that in a situation like that of your friend, the circumstances are so overpowering that one is in no mental state to look at things spiritually. But that is precisely what one must do to overcome being over whelmed by debilitating despair and accept what is inevitable.
The transition of soul from a body which is no more capable of assisting its process of purification to another more conducive body is not only the divine law but is also for the utmost benefit of the soul. The soul’s nature is to always move from better to still better conditions in its journey culminating in union with the paramatma, which is its source. We call it SADGATI or movement towards reality of truth.
When all useful contribution of the body is over, and this must be ascertained from the doctors with utmost care, prolonging life artificially and thereby delaying soul’s natural movement is not only undesirable but also not in the interest of the embedded soul. However painful it may be, decision has to be taken. No well wisher would like to obstruct the soul’s progress.
In this context I suggest reading the following articles in AHWAN:
1. “The concept of many births” in October/November 2000 issue.
2. “Attempts to describe Brahman” Part 5 in Sept 2003 issue. and
3. “Kaumaram Yauvanam Jara” in January 2008 issue.
Your friend’s father had a long life with his family. Every family member during his/her life time contributes in many ways towards the spiritual development of other family members by his actions, and advice. This is the time for other family members to gather and reflect on the past and remember his contributions and assess to what extent they have been benefited.
Such contemplations help the soul in its rebirth process. God bless you and your friend .
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Sri Bimal Mohanty 2000
